§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent decisions have been taken by the European Commission to support research into nuclear contamination in Russia. Belarus and the Ukraine.
§ Mr. MacleanI am informed that the Commission of the European Communities entered on 23 June 1992 into an agreement at non-governmental level with institutions in the three republics of the Commonwealth of independent States most closely concerned with the accident six years ago at the Chernobyl nuclear plant: Russia, Byelorussia and Ukraine. The agreement is for collaboration in studying the nature of the radioactive contamination arising from the Chernobyl accident, to broaden the technical skills needed to control such accidents, and to improve emergency management procedures. The collaboration will be between institutes in European Community member states and in Russia, Byelorussia and Ukraine.